CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol-Chapter 486 - 478: Eating Together

"Director Lu, I really appreciate your care over these past days, but we are impossible."

"Jiaqi, as long as you decide to leave Zhang Yuzhe, I have a way. I’m even willing to raise your child."

"Director Lu, I’m not a good woman. For resources, I sold myself to Zhang Yuzhe."

Lu Hai looked at her; he was just a reserved man not good at expressing love and emotions.

Yet, his films could immerse the audience in intense empathy.

At this moment, he seemed like the male protagonist in his own movie.

"It doesn’t matter. I don’t care. To love is to abandon the past and start fresh."

"Jiaqi, do you know that from the first moment I saw you, I fell in love with you?"

"Every night when I return to my room, I smoke and think of you. I’ve painted so many beautiful pictures of you,"

Lu Hai’s voice carried suppressed pain and a burning intensity.

He wanted to immediately possess this girl who haunted his soul, making him feel an inexplicable guilt.

"Thank you for liking me so much, but I can’t leave Zhang Yuzhe."

"What he gives you, I can also give you. I can make you into a big star."

"I know! But this isn’t about becoming a star or not."

Li Jiaqi gave a sorrowful smile, her eyes filled with weariness and longing. She stopped looking at Lu Hai and began to walk away.

He wanted to call out to her, but it felt like something was blocking his throat, silencing him in the end.

"Jiaqi, don’t worry. I’ll go back and negotiate with Zhang Yuzhe."

"I won’t let you be bullied by that bastard anymore."

In his heart, Lu Hai silently made a vow. He pulled out his phone and called a friend.

By a roadside eatery, at a slightly greasy table beneath a big umbrella,

Long Zitao was eating zhajiangmian noodles with two others.

"Mr. Long, have you never eaten in a place like this before?" Ye Yuwei teased, smiling.

"Haha, I’m not as disconnected from reality as you think. I occasionally eat at roadside stalls."

"Occasionally!" Jiang Mengqi looked at him with a playful smile while enjoying her meal.

At this moment, the chubby proprietress brought over another plate of beef.

"Here’s the rest!" The proprietress glanced curiously at the three of them, perhaps sensing they were uncommon folk.

Ye Yuwei picked up a piece and remarked, "This beef tastes... off."

"Of course it’s off. This is frozen meat that’s been stored for a long time," Long Zitao said, sipping his soda.

"It does taste off. Mr. Long, how do you know without even tasting?" Jiang Mengqi wrinkled her nose after trying a bite.

"Because I’ve been in business myself."

At his words, the two girls burst into laughter.

"How come I didn’t notice before? I actually thought it tasted good."

"Same here!"

"That’s because nowadays you two are constantly eating premium beef. Your palates have adjusted, so you can tell right away."

Setting down his chopsticks, Long Zitao continued, "Once you get used to something, a different flavor immediately stands out."

Jiang Mengqi mused, "I wonder if this is how all the rich kids savor their food."

"More or less." Long Zitao chuckled.

"They’re used to dishes made by the best chefs with the finest ingredients, so they can taste the difference in one bite."

Ye Yuwei also set her chopsticks down. "So, it’s not that rich people are snobby—it’s just that certain things genuinely taste bad to them."

"Haha! Haha!"

Long Zitao laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Yezi, you’re absolutely right."

"For example, this plate of beef. If we say it’s bad, someone out there would surely criticize us,"

"But we’re just honestly saying it doesn’t taste good."

Perhaps feeling tired, Ye Yuwei slipped off her high heels, stretching her pale, tender ankles.

"Is this unladylike?"

"Quite unladylike! But then again, we’re not exactly ’ladies.’ We’re unruly girls."

Jiang Mengqi’s laughter was radiant, her face blooming like a sunflower awash in sunlight’s joy.

Meanwhile, under the blazing sunshine, Ye Yuwei looked like a beautiful goddess, carrying an indescribable allure.

The purity and goodness of this girl seemed to radiate from inside out.

"What time is it? Shouldn’t we be heading back?" Ye Yuwei asked.

"It’s already six. If we don’t leave now, our assistants might start worrying about our whereabouts." Jiang Mengqi giggled.

Long Zitao understood their predicament.

These girls were nothing more than tools for big corporations to make money.

However, from a business perspective, if he were their boss, he likely wouldn’t treat them differently.

After all, he had no idea how long they’d remain popular. It was crucial to cash in while they still could.

Long Zitao looked at Ye Yuwei, feeling a tinge of reluctance. "It’s rare to have an outing like this!"

"Reluctant for Yezi to leave?" Jiang Mengqi winked playfully.

"I’m reluctant to part with all of you." Long Zitao deflected, sparing Ye Yuwei any awkwardness.

"I really wish we could lead carefree lives every day," Ye Yuwei said with a bittersweet smile.

"Then marry rich. In the future, you’ll be holding kids, walking dogs, hitting the gym, and shopping all day."

"Forget it, Mr. Long. That’s not my destiny. I’ll stick to dancing on stage."

"Can you two stop being so cryptic? I’m not eavesdropping on your secrets."

Ye and Long exchanged a slightly embarrassed look at Jiang Mengqi’s remark.

"Mengqi, do you have a boyfriend? I mean, before you debuted," Long Zitao asked curiously.

"I did, but it was all frivolous. I’ve never been truly loved."

"You’re so bright and lovable. You’ll definitely find someone who loves you. Among us, you and Zijing are the most popular with guys!"

"That’s just because you and Fangxin are too gorgeous and aloof. The guys don’t dare to approach you."

"Haha! Aloof? Me and Fangxin? We’re so easygoing. We joke around too!"

"Only on set and in front of cameras. In private, you don’t even look at those guys!"

At this moment, sunlight pierced the clouds overhead, bathing the bustling alley in warmth and harmony.

The three of them instinctively turned to look in the distance, where busy people seemed absorbed, as if part of a film scene.

"It’s about time. We really do need to leave." Ye Yuwei stood up.

"See you later..." Long Zitao said.

She nodded gently.

The two exchanged a lingering gaze before blending into the crowd alongside Jiang Mengqi.

In Long Zitao’s eyes, Ye Yuwei’s slender silhouette and light steps stood out.

He even recalled the grace of her dancing,

along with the memory of that searing kiss and the intoxicating sensation it brought.

Watching her disappearing figure, Long Zitao sighed softly.

Ye Yuwei still left in the end...

For a fleeting moment, Long Zitao had the urge to chase after her.

But then he shook his head, feeling like a lovestruck adolescent.

"Long Zitao, you’ve really fallen for her..."

Turning in the opposite direction, he walked away. Two bodyguards rose from another stall and followed him.

Unbeknownst to him, a stunning young woman looked on with surprise from behind.

Dragging along a large suitcase, she had been eating rice noodles at a shop across the narrow street.

"Oh my god! Ye Yuwei, Jiang Mengqi, and Long Zitao!"

"Could it be that all those rumors online are true? Are they dating?"

Zhao Yixue’s curiosity burned brightly, though she wasn’t the type to spread gossip.

She had no intention of sharing what she just witnessed, but her curiosity remained piqued.

After all, Ye Yuwei was the one everyone at Galaxy paid the most "attention" to among the girls.